False Judgements

Racial Bias

Dear Reader,

We are about to broach a touchy subject. One that somewhat unnerves me to speak on with the tense state of the world right now on racial issues but it’s near and dear to my heart as the parents of children with African lineage. I hope for them a world where they are free to be themselves with no stereotypical bias and they are accepted for who they are based only on their actions.

I was watching Family Reunion on Netflix and they showcased the difficult side of being born of African descent but we are often bombarded by similar occurrences in real life. In the show, the 3 little boys, no more than probably 13 years old, were trying to get into their locked home while their parents were out. Cops were called and they approached the children with guns drawn, demanding they get down on their knees. This is a situation we hear of so often on the news and it brought tears to my eyes to see it represented on the screen because a lot of my loved ones are of African descent and it pains me to think that this might ever happen to them based only on the colour of their skin.

Growing up in Guyana, our society believed in free speech, sometimes brutally so. We called it developing a thick skin to be able to handle people making fun of you based on your differences, sometimes the joke was the colour of your skin. Quite often I found lighter-complexioned individuals were thoughts of as more aesthetically pleasing and better behaved than their darker counterparts and judgements were made based on their skin colour before words were ever spoken. Now this is racism but most often it wasn’t done maliciously with intent to harm but just “jokes” based on stereotypes. Yet I’m sure it must have affected the way these individuals thought of themselves and others of them. In my experience, it was often children regurgitating what the adults around them said. I remember thinking as a young girl, maybe even as a teenager, that I would hope my children be born light skinned like I was in the hopes their life was just a little easier than what I witness for my dark-skinned friends and family members. I shudder to think of our children inheriting such a world. The world does judge, by skin and in many other ways. We live in a world where we judge and are judged based on stereotypes before words are uttered. Quite often, we hear of cases where people of power made decisions not based on the merit of the individual case but by stereotypes. We need to find a way to address these biases, examine the root of these thoughts and determine how to best change these situations.

The Bible says in Luke 6:37–42: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. ”Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

We each have a responsibility to build the world we want to live in. This means letting go of the bias that we’ve inherited from the previous generations and standing up to others when they’re exhibiting bias in our lives. I stated in a recent blog that I’m actively involved in raising children that will add positive value to the world. I fully believe that change starts with me and every single one of us has the ability to shape the world around us. My beliefs started from my mom who always encouraged me to think for myself and choose my own path because she was confident in my ability to make good decisions.

Let’s model a world of inclusivity and love for our children. In 1 John 4:8 says Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. There are a lot of things exhibited in the world that goes against the teachings of the bible but I look at the world through the eyes of love and as someone who has made mistakes before. No one deserves to sit in judgement of another person and if we all model that behaviour (save circumstances where it lawfully needs to be done in a court of law) the world would be a better place. We need to look upon each other with grace, forgiveness and love. We’ve all made mistakes and it’s important to give others the chance to do better with their lives instead of sitting in judgement of them.

Some amount of critical thinking is necessary as well. If someone models unacceptable behaviour and they cannot be made to see the error of their ways, then I believe its best to cut ties with that individual or risk following in their footsteps or having your reputation tarnished by association. We act from a place of love but we need to be sensible. People cannot be helped if they don’t believe they need help.

I hope my words have added value to your life. I hope I have conveyed my beliefs on our individual responsibility to shape a more positive experience on this earth. I hope I’ve at least planted a seed of change in your mindset if you don’t already model these thoughts.

Love and Peace to you,

Nadine Ramnauth

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